Monthly Archives: February 2019

Thousands of years after a devastating cataclysm, humanity lives in a new dark age. Technology and science are forbidden and a matriarchal church rules society. However, Ellia is ruled only by her curiosity. Defying the Church, she learns that all is not as it seems in the holy books and that humans once traveled to the stars and possibly beyond.

I initially thought this was steampunk, as it was in a steampunk bundle. It’s more in the post-apocalyptic genre. There is steam technology, but it’s not really part of the story. Not really science fiction either. It’s more young adult romantic adventure. And while well written (despite a few spelling mistakes) not really engaging.

It does end on a bit of a cliff-hanger. However it’s not interesting enough to continue.

A Murder for Mistress Cwen(The Chronicles of Brother Hermitage Book 10)by Howard of Warwick (2017)

When Stigand of Arundel arrives in Derby with a commission from King William to buy some very expensive hawks, Wat, Weaver of adult tapestry sees an opportunity for profit. Brother Hermitage sees only trouble.

Not really. Cwen doesn’t murder anyone and she is not murdered (thankfully). But someone claiming to be her father turns up, then turns up dead. It’s all heads on board as the Vikings, Normans and locals try to work out who id the murders. Everything becomes more and more intriguing. Then, like the previous story the mystery is solved and the book ends.

A crew member has gone missing. Someone has come up with a crazy scheme to get them back. Never mind the ‘needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one’. The ship is going into uncharted territory with hand waving science. In they go, the ship is at risk immediately with a strangely accurate clock ticking down to their destruction.

The rescue team, with minutes to go indulge in a ‘chat’ to retrieve another ‘dead’ crew member. Then, deus ex machina, there is another ship that can help. And after wandering around a bit they all successfully come home.

Alita: Battle Angel is a 2019 American cyberpunk action film based on Yukito Kishiro’s manga series Gunnm, also known as Battle Angel Alita. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez, written by James Cameron and Laeta Kalogridis.

There are some amazing graphics in this film. Fortunately that’s not all as there is a good story. Sure, it’s taken a lot of tropes and cliches from other science fiction, but it is well done and there are plenty of unexpected turns. At one point near the end I though it was going to take a very schmaltzy ending. Fortunately that was avoided and end ending left scope for sequels.

Jet must risk everything to foil a kidnapping that threatens a diplomat’s daughter in the wilds of Africa.

This one is more on the big scale multi-plot genre favored by Tom Clancy. Lots of players roaming the world undertaking dubious schemes and plots. For the first time, a pharmaceutical company is involved (and not in a good way). There is an entire plot thread that is not really resolved.

The best thing is the main plot involving Jet that takes its time and provides plenty of twists and surprises. Another great book as the series reaches its end.

The Case of the Cantankerous Carcass(The Chronicles of Brother Hermitage #9)by Howard of Warwick (2017)

How is a medieval monk supposed to investigate a death if the corpse keeps complaining all the time?

When his beloved old Abbot arrives at Wat the Weaver’s workshop asking for his aid, Hermitage cannot refuse. He only has one beloved old Abbot, after all. But this one comes with a web made by specially tangled spiders.

This departs from the established narrative in that there are (initially) no dead bodies to investigate. Brother Hermitage and his gang walk around the country, following a trail of clues. It’s the usual stuff, and in the end he does work it all out, however the ending is rather abrupt.

A mysterious sphere takes Discovery out of warp while the ship was en route to intercept Spock’s trail that was given to him by Number One. The sphere locks Discovery in place. The fungal parasite latches on to Tilly during the chaos caused to the ship while in status.

This episode just seems so pointless. It’s like a throw-back to the original series where the enterprise encounters a menace battles it, only to find it’s not what it appeared to be.

The bug and Tilly was also weird, so much for conservation of mass, as the thing is both on her arm and then encloses her. Maybe she has gone for good.

It also looks really weird to have Captain Pike in an orange command uniform, walking with officers in more modern looking uniforms.

Amanda Grayson arrives onboard Discovery with a stolen copy of Spock’s medical records from the psychiatric facility he has voluntarily entered.

Captain Christopher Pike orders Commander Michael Burnham to decrypt the files. The files include Spock’s drawing of a “red angel”, an image he often drew as a child.

Klingon Chancellor L’Rell introduces Ash/Voq to the baby son she and Voq had together. Klingon House leader Kol-sha threatens to kill Ash/Voq and L’Rell but they kill Kol-sha instead with the help of Philippa Georgiou.

This on really feels like some in-between episodes with multiple plot threads being set up for later pay-back (hopefully).

Discovery, following another mysterious stellar signal, uses the Spore Drive and arrives at a planet with a previously unknown human population; evidence suggests that their culture dates from the time of World War III.

An away party including Captain Pike, Burnham, and Joann Owosekun investigate and discover a primitive society with a religion combining multiple human faiths; a few citizens preserve tales of the war. Much of the action takes place within the settlement’s church.

A better episode, this captures some of the spirit of the original show and Next Generation.